Natalie BakopoulosThe Green Shore, Natalie’s debut novel is set inAthens and Paris, against the backdrop of the Greek military dictatorshipand centered around four memorablecharacters. She received her MFAin Fiction from the University of Michigan. She was also recognized as a 2010 PEN/O. Henry Award-winningauthor.Judith Ortiz CoferCritically acclaimed and widely published poet, novelist, andessayist Judith Ortiz Cofer’s latest book, If I Could Fly,tells the story of 15 year old Doris, who learns that ‘she might have to fly far distancesbefore she finds out where she belongs. Judith writes extensively about the experience of being Puerto Rican andher identity as a woman and writer in the U.S. Currently she is teaching literature and creative writing atthe University of Georgia.Kelly Milner Halls1 Comments on Judging Teen Stories with a Remarkable Cast for the "It's All Write" Contest, last added: 4/17/2012Display Comments Add a CommentBy: Christina Ann Rodriguez, on 2/27/2012
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I was happy today to find this review linked to the Barnes and Nobles site.
Children's Literature
You can't help but tap your feet as you read this book. The words make a beat throughout the book and by the time you reach the end you just want to dance. Marita's dad and his salsa band are performing in the park tonight and as she and her mom make their way through the town friends follow along. Reminiscent of a Gloria Estefan song you can feel the rhythm as you read along. Though fun and upbeat it's hardly the story to read when you want to calm the little ones for bed at night. But if you are in the mood for an upbeat fun time that requires no thought whatsoever, this is the book. The illustrations are as lively as the rhythm that urges you to move and the Spanish is so well woven into the story that bilingual readers don't even notice the shift from one language to the other.
Reviewer: Mandy Cruz
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I am so pleased with the turnout of my first book launch party. So many children came as well as many adults shopping for gifts for the holidays. Children had a great time getting their book signed, running over to get their faces painted and get a balloon animal. They were also able to make their own maraca at a craft table and then learn some salsa moves! It was a very exciting day and I don't think it could have been any better!
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Sorry I have been so busy the past few months I have neglected my blog!!! I have been working on my first picture book ¡A Bailar! and handed in the final paintings at the end of November. It is written by Judith Ortiz Cofer and will be published by Arte Público Press's children's division, Piñata Books and is scheduled to release October 30th of this year!! The very first thing I did when I painted that last stroke, put down the paint brush, and rubbed my sleepy eyes was scatter all my paintings on a table and take this picture. "Whoa I did it," I said with a big sigh of relief, "my first book, all finished."
I have also been working on a few paintings recently for a possible new project I will hopefully have some details on that in the near future.0 Comments on Long awaited update!!! as of 1/1/1900Add a CommentBy: Manuel Ramos, on 10/12/2007
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I was unable to post on Friday, but how about a few quick items for a special Saturday edition of La Bloga.
DAY OF THE DEAD PAPERBACK ALTAR
Now here is something a bit unusual.
"Miss Prothero's Books and book artist Deborah Horner are building a Day of the Dead altar out of mass market paperbacks. If you have a garage full of pulps, pocketbooks or mass markets that need a good home, please consider donating them to the project. We're looking for paperbacks that are approximately 4 1/4" wide by 7" tall. Bring your donations to Miss Prothero's by October 20. We're located at 1112 Santa Fe Drive[Denver]. We're open Tuesday through Thursday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Sunday 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. The altar will be unveiled on November 2nd at 7 p.m. You're welcome to bring something that pays homage to your favorite dead writer, reader, printer or binder on the evening of the unveiling. Call Miss Prothero's Books at 303-572-2260 if you need more information."
UPCOMING EVENTS AT EL LABORATORIO
Emma Perez and Manuel Ramos
October 20, 2007
Reception 6PM
Main Event 6:30-8PM
Emma Perez will read from her forthcoming novel Forgetting the Alamo followed by a reading by Manuel Ramos of works in progress.
Gustavo Arellano
November 14, 2007
Reception 6PM
Main Event 6:30-8PM
Gustavo Arellano will discuss his popular syndicated newspaper column Ask a Mexican and read from his book of the same name. Gustavo has appeared on The Today Show, The Colbert Report, CNN, Nightline and others. Ask a Mexican, the book, was published in 2007.
Sheryl Luna & Angel Vigil
December 1, 2007
Reception 6PM
Main Event 6:30-8PM
Sheryl Luna will read from her book Pity the Drowned Horses followed by a performance by award-winning storyteller Angel Vigil.
El Laboratorio, 404 S. Upham Street, Lakewood, CO 303-934-1777. All events are $10, $5 for members.
JUDITH ORTIZ COFER
A recent interview in the Nashville Scene produced an exchange that should be of some interest to La Bloga readers. Ms. Cofer was asked if she ever gets tired of being thought of and getting asked questions as a Latina writer, instead of just a writer. She responded:
"It’s inevitable. I usually am advertised with so many tags that I’m short- and nearsighted to it. Puerto Rican writer, Latina, whatever. It doesn’t bother me anymore because people have to find their way towards you. They will call you whatever they want, and then they come to the poetry reading and they understand that it’s about them. Even if I’m writing about my grandmother, it’s about them."
Good interview, check it out.
MODERN INDIAN IDENTITY
My father's stories:Remembering Oklahoma
October 25, 2007
7:30 PM, Atlas 100, University of Colorado, BoulderThe Center of the American West presents Dr. Eva Maria Garroutte in this fall's Modern Indian Identity Lecture. Professor Garroutte is the author of Real Indians: Identity, Community, and the Survival of Native America. In this talk, Professor Garroutte blends her father's stories of growing up in the Cherokee Nation of the 1930's with her own recent experiences as a tribal citizen working in the field of American Indian health. Reception to follow. More info here, or call 303-492-4879.
That's it. Have a great weekend, read and read some more, come back, often, to La Bloga, and how about those Rockies.
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Call Me María
Author: Judith Ortiz Cofer
Publisher: Scholastic
ISBN-10: 0439385784
ISBN-13: 978-0439385787
Call Me María is the story of a girl caught between two worlds, the bright beaches of Puerto Rico where she was born and raised and the gritty streets of el barrio in New York where she lives with her father. The story is told in letters, poems and short spare chapters that convey much. The poetry is evocative and compelling. The language is lush. María’s the story of her life is fascinating. You can see the beaches in Puerto Rico, smell the ocean, feel the sun on your face, feel the cold of the New York and the shock to the system. It’s pretty great when writing can make you feel that you’re there, when it’s so real you can almost feel the wind on your skin.
“…I will watch the world go by until
I am ready to surface,
una flor in la primavera.
I know that spring will come someday even to this barrio.
When it does
I will break through the concerete and reach for the sun
Like the first flower of spring.”
Beautiful, que no?
María’s new life in the barrio is filled with meeting new friends, discovering the poetry in herself, learning Spanglish, overcoming her heavy accent, learning to live with her parents separation. There’s a lot here in this little book. Every page is a pleasure if you love poetry like I do.
If you’re not a big fan, well read it anyway and the book will win you over. The different chapters, poems and letters give a lyrical view of everything and everyone involved in the story in a way that is brief but intense. I loved the poem of the Papi Chulo – that was just amazing – I smiled all the way through it.
Hasta la proxima,
Gina MarySol Ruiz2 Comments on Call Me María, last added: 1/31/2007Display Comments Add a Comment
I hope you have a great time!